I Love Albania

      In Albania Raki is the national drink, but be warned! Raki can be produced by almost every fuit. This drink can be consumed before or after the meal and sometimes even in the morning while having a coffee. Alcohol by volume 40 - 50 %. Raki      Raki made out in the villages is equal to about three normal drinks.  If you’ve travelled in the Balkans, you’ve probably come across rakija or rakia.  But the Albanian versus is quite unique.  It’s an old school moonshine made from grapes that is incredibly strong. You’ll find it in most bars but be sure to pay attention to its source.  If it comes out of a repurposed plastic bottle or plain glass jug, you’re liking getting a home-brew likely to put hair on your chest (as the saying goes!).     Albanian Raki           I Love Albania

        Tirana , the capital is surprisingly sheik. For a country that’s had some stark years, the truly Albanian spirit can be seen in modern Tirana.  You might expect it to be dominated by grey concrete (like other Post-Communist European cities), but there’s a ton of green space and lots of colour. The inspiration behind the reinvention of the city is Edi Rama.  A painter and a politician, Rama was mayor of the city for 11 years (2000-2011).  Though some have criticized him for not paying more attention to infrastructure issues, most agree that the effects of having a lively city go a long way towards motivating people and inspiring even more change. I Love Albania

              You’re likely to notice a large number of scarecrows in odd places .  Albanians believe that a scarecrow placed on a home or other building while it’s under construction will ward off envy from the neighbours. Sometimes you’ll see a teddy bear serving the same purpose.  The odd part is that the scarecrow or the teddy bear will be impaled on a rod or hung by a rope like a noose.  Some also say that these talismans bring good luck     The common form of a scarecrow is a humanoid figure dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. In the United States , immigrant German farmers made human looking scarecrows called “ bootzamon ,” which later changed to bogeyman . They were dressed in old clothes with a large red handkerchief around their necks. Native American tribes across North Am...

   The majority of Albanians are Muslim .  About 70% at last count.  A 2011 census shows that about 60% of Muslims are practicing Sunni and Bektashi Shia , making it the largest religion in the country.  About 17% are Christian , which makes it the second largest religion, and another 17% are either undeclared or atheist.       Islam in Albania mainly arrived during the Ottoman period when the majority of Albanians over time converted to Islam and in particular two of its denominations: Sunni and Bektashi (a Shia-Sufi order). Following the Albanian National Awakening ( Rilindja ) tenets and the deemphasizing of religion during the 20th century, the democratic, monarchic, and later the communist governments followed a systematic dereligionization of the Albanian nation and national culture. I Love Albania